"You'd go to the White Hart and have a few pints and think, well last night John was here. He's not now."

The odds against them were enormous - 640 RAF fighter pilots took on a German Luftwaffe force of 2,600. The men came back drained but, he said, "you'd have a couple of pints and you had to snap out of it".

The camaraderie was intense. Geoffrey, now 96, painted a picture of "the boys in their best blue, smoke rising to the ceiling, pints knocking back...a fighter squadron trying to relax, very much aware of one another's company..."

“You'd go to the White Hart and have a few pints and think, well last night John was here. He's not now”

Geoffrey Wellum

And equally aware that every day might be their last.

Bomber Command had it worse. Out of a force of 125,000, 55,000 were lost. Tail-gunner Dave Fellowes was told by his captain to bail out after their Lancaster had a mid-air collision. He refused. Dave told the McGregors: "My turret was still operational. So why should I jump? "What? Leave my mates?" he added, aghast.

These men weren't saints - the STI rates for Bomber Command were outrageous. ("A blob on the knob spells demob", went the warning.) But by god they had guts.

Actor Ewan and his older brother Colin, an ex-RAF pilot, were reliable guides in this stirring story.

Best TV Moments 2018

Take a look at the best moments that have appeared on TV in 2018.

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It began in WW1, as pilots braved open cockpits, and continued through the Cold War to the Falklands and beyond. They met some remarkable women too. Mary Ellis, now 100, and Joy Lofthouse, 94, flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary. Joy joked that Ewan was a poor substitute for Martin Shaw "my favourite toy-boy".

Sadly, she and Dave Fellowes died recently. I'd like to think their spirit survives. But we seem a less resourceful people today - certainly less stoic.

Compare and contrast the can-do pluck of these heroes with the preening prats of reality TV and then tell me that's progress.

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A different League

James "Lockie" Lock insisted he was a gentleman on TOWIE, before calling girlfriend Yaz "a f***ing little brat" and making her cry.

Not exactly John Steed, then. More League of Gentlemen, perhaps? His claim, "I am a f***ing nice boy", is a Royston Vasey catchphrase in waiting. Some of these grotesques would fit right in. Eh, Gemma? ¦ Lockie's had hair plugs and his ears pulled back. Georgia has new boobs.

Chloe's "new fat arse" makes her "walk like a pigeon" according to Pirate Pete. (She already had the face of a constipated duck.) But no-one has ever topped the vajazzle. They haven't taken up my raspberryflavoured nipples suggestion.

Or a strategically placed, surgically constructed second "minny" - think of the publicity!

Arg needs laser eye surgery. He and the GC (Gobby Cow) are so loved-up they are buying a holiday home in Spain. Why Spain? In India she'd be worshipped. ? WHO'S next for over-promotion? Clelia would look hot in ITV's jungle shower. Chloe L is pretty gutsy.

I quite like Shelby, but her eyes are so narrow you could blindfold her with dental floss.

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CHANNEL 4

CHAOS: Lee Mack caused a mess on Great Celebrity Bake Off

Bakes and pain of Lee

Lee Mack brought chaos to the Bake Off tent, juggling eggs and dropping them. Only his baking was a bigger mess.

Lee made Nick Hewer look like Nadiya. He didn't even recognise a cooking apple. "Celebrity A&E would be easier," Lee moaned. "If I don't burn this tent down, I've won."

Lee, inset, got the Hollywood handshake, but magnificent Melanie Sykes won the apron. Her tequila-spiked chilli chocolate Frida Kahlo cake was a work of art. (Lee's were like a Dali nightmare.) Only a vile sexist would suggest Mel leaning over her chopping board was the real show-stopper. ? I

It's a wonder Mel has the energy for cooking with all those toy-boys. It'd be unkind to say she's tampered with more balls than the Aussie cricket team, but possibly accurate.